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Eight long years ago, Eric Church stepped foot onto the stage of the legendary Madison Square Garden and changed the trajectory of his career forever. At the time, his debut album Sinners Like Me was receiving critical acclaim and his debut single “How Bout You” was climbing the charts and as opener for a country trio on a chilly October 14, 2006 evening, Church was ready to play long and loud and late into the night…or at least that’s how the story goes.

The Chief hasn’t been back since.

Fast forward eight years, and the EMI Nashville recording artist is ready to recreate that long and loud and fateful night. Except this time, the Chief is in charge. Now holding the deserving title of headliner, Church is preparing to take the MSG stage once again on October 17, 2014 in celebration of his top selling album The Outsiders, his rising single “Talledega” and the unveiling of the second leg of Eric Church: The Outsiders World Tour.

The much anticipated and long overdue show in New York City is just one of the many highlights of a year that has found Church tirelessly touring the country, consistently at the top of the charts and serving as the toast of a bevy of award shows. To commemorate his return performance in The Big Apple, Church will also perform on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday, Oct. 15 on NBC at 11:35 pm ET/10:35 CT. At the upcoming 48th Annual CMA Awards, airing live on November 5 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, The Outsiders is nominated for CMA Album of the Year and has also earned Church three additional CMA nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year, as well as both Single of the Year and Song of the Year for his No. 1 hit song “Give Me Back My Hometown.”

Church told The New York Times earlier this year, “I always say that we don’t make these songs for Music Row, we make them for the front row," and both fans and critics agree. A Rolling Stone cover artist, the publication raves The Outsiders World Tour packs "a serious punch," and SPIN Magazine notes "he's the most exciting, sonically fearless singer in Nashville."

And based on the staggering success of The Outsiders World Tour, Church will take on the New Year with the launch of the second leg of the tour in New Orleans on January 8, 2015. The second leg of the 2015 tour will proceed as follows:

Jan. 8| New Orleans, LA| Smoothie King Center

Jan. 9| Tupelo, MS| BankcorpSouth Arena

Jan. 10| Nashville, TN| Bridgestone Arena

Jan. 14| Oklahoma City, OK| Chesapeake Energy Arena

Jan. 16| Las Vegas, NV | The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Jan. 17| Las Vegas, NV| The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Jan. 18| San Diego, CA| Valley View Casino Arena

Jan. 22| Fresno, CA| Save Mart Center

Jan. 23| Los Angeles, CA| Staples Center

Jan. 24| Phoenix, AZ| US Airways Arena

Jan. 27| Denver, CO| Pepsi Center

Jan. 29| Spokane, WA| Spokane Arena

Jan. 30| Boise, ID| Taco Bell Arena

Jan. 31| Salt Lake City, UT| EnergySolutions Arena

Feb. 4| Sacramento, CA| Sleep Train Arena

Feb. 5| San Jose, CA| SAP Center

Church’s current album, The Outsiders, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart and the Billboard Country Albums Chart earlier this year, featuring his No. 1 hit “Give Me Back My Hometown” and his new single “Talladega.” The Outsiders is the follow-up to Church’s Platinum-certified album Chief, (named the 2012 Album of the Year by both CMA and ACM, and GRAMMY-nominated for Best Country Album) which featured five Top 20 singles: “Homeboy” (certified Platinum for sales in excess of one million singles); the Top 10 “Like Jesus Does” and the Top 5 “Creepin’” (both certified Gold for sales in excess of 500,000 singles each); and two No. 1 hits “Drink in My Hand” (certified Platinum) and “Springsteen” (certified Double Platinum for sales in excess of two million singles). Church’s 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me (2006) and his sophomore album Carolina (2009) are both RIAA Gold-certified. Carolina had three hit singles: the Top 10 “Hell on the Heart” as well as Top 20 hit “Smoke A Little Smoke” and Top 10 smash “Love Your Love The Most,” which were both certified Gold. Sinners Like Me spawned three Top 20 singles: “How ‘Bout You,” “Two Pink Lines,” and “Guys Like Me.”

Delivering cool relief for everyone sweating out the long hot summer, EMI Records Nashville recording artist Eric Church will debut the new music video for his current hit single, “Cold One,” in three stages over the next few days.

On Friday, Aug. 8, the music video will debut exclusively for members of his fan club, The Church Choir, at EricChurch.com.

On Saturday, Aug. 9 and Sunday, Aug. 10, anyone who visits EricChurch.com and enters their e-mail address or social login will be able to unlock “Cold One” for viewing and be eligible to win a Church-branded Yeti cooler.

On Monday, Aug. 11, “Cold One” will be available on CMT, GAC, VEVO, and all other music video outlets.

“Cold One” features the CMA and ACM Award winner along with his band members Jeff Cease, Lee Hendricks, Jeff Hyde, Driver Williams, and Craig Wright in both performance and acting roles. Directed by Peter Zavadil, the music video was shot at a beer warehouse and bar outside Nashville. “Cold One” was written by Church, Hyde, and Lynn Hutton and is featured on Church’s current album 'The Outsiders'.

Photo: Peter Zavadil

"Cold One" will undoubtedly be an audience favorite when Church launches his highly-anticipated The Outsiders World Tour at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City, LA on Sept. 11. The first leg of the tour will take place throughout Sept.-Dec. in the U.S. and Canada and is exclusively promoted by Louis Messina of The Messina Group/AEG Live. The dates for the first leg of The Outsiders World Tour with special guest Dwight Yoakam (#TheOutsidersLive) are as follows:

Tickets are selling quickly for all shows on the first leg of Eric Church’s recently announced and highly anticipated “The Outsiders World Tour” with special guest Dwight Yoakam, and fans are encouraged to make their purchases now in order to guarantee a seat for what will undoubtedly be one of the hottest concert tours of 2014.

Over 14,000 tickets have been sold since Friday at Target Center in Minneapolis making it one of the hottest stops on the first set of announced dates. In fact, currently only a small number of seats directly behind the stage—unofficially coined “The Choir Loft”—in the upper bowl remain for Minneapolis fans who want to purchase seats for Church’s Sept. 16 show. However, that will change momentarily this afternoon (Apr. 25) at 5:00 PM/CDT, as 902 tickets have been identified as being purchased by scalpers that were in violation of the sales limits of the show. Those ticket orders have been cancelled, and the 902 tickets will be put back into the system for sale at that time.

“A lot of acts just want to sell as many tickets as they can and they don't care who they sell them to,” said Church, a long-time foe of ticket scalping. “I want my fans to be the ones who buy tickets to my shows, and I want scalpers to back off. I can't stop ticket scalpers completely, but I can definitely make it harder for them.”

All ticket orders for Church’s “The Outsiders World Tour” will be scrutinized to combat scalping as much as possible so that the fans can have the best opportunity to see the concert for the originally intended price.

Opening the tour on different dates throughout the first leg will be rising country music duo Brothers Osborne, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Brandy Clark, or the hard rocking band Halestorm. For ticket dates and information, visit www.ericchurch.com.

EMI Records Nashville recording artist Eric Church will release a double gatefold vinyl version of his album The Outsiders on Saturday, April 19, in recognition of National Record Store Day. The vinyl package will also include an exclusive album poster. The Outsiders originally debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and the Billboard Top Country Albums chart when it was released earlier this year in February. The album features his top-five-and-rising hit “Give Me Back My Hometown” as well as the raucous debut title track. This is Church’s second vinyl project in honor of National Record Store Day; last year, he released a vinyl version of his live album, Caught in the Act: Live.

The Outsiders (vinyl version) track listing:

Side 1

1. “The Outsiders”

2. “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young”

3. “Cold One”

4. “Roller Coaster Ride”

Side 2

1. “Talladega”

2. “Broke Record”

3. “Like a Wrecking Ball”

4. “That’s Damn Rock & Roll”

Side 3

1. “Dark Side”

2. “Devil, Devil (Prelude: Princess of Darkness)”

Side 4

1. “Give Me Back My Hometown”

2. “The Joint”

3. “The Outsiders (Extended Version)” – bonus track

4. “Come Together” – bonus track

Entertainment Weekly called The Outsiders “the still-rising star’s most brazen, brilliant disc yet, and the first great album of this year.” “ … this is the kind of record critics imagine Kanye keeps making: a freakish statement of confidence and power from an artist in full command of his gifts,” said Spin Magazine, before continuing, “Church can turn from consummate studio pro to unruly rebel rouser on a midnight-train-whine-thin dime. Nashville has the deepest grab-bag in contemporary pop right now, but nothing else comes together like Eric Church in the wild.” People just named The Outsiders one of 2014’s Ten Best Albums of the Year (so far).

Church recently announced the launch of The Outsiders World Tour, beginning on Sept. 11 in Bossier City, Louisiana. Special guest for the entire tour is Dwight Yoakam, with Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, and Halestorm alternating as opening act. The first tour dates will go on sale this Friday, Apr. 18, with more on-sale dates to be announced soon. For tour updates and more information or to purchase The Outsiders on vinyl, visit www.EricChurch.com.

Multi-platinum country music superstar Eric Church will tape his debut performance for “Austin City Limits” on Sept. 23, 2014 as part of the ground-breaking music program’s 40th anniversary season. The television show is taped live before a concert audience at the venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin, Texas, and will air nationally on PBS Television on a date to be revealed later.

“Eric Church is working on a level that few other country artists of his generation can touch,” said Ken Tucker at NPR Music in his review of Church’s new album 'The Outsiders', which recently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Top Country Album Chart. “Shrewd, defiant, sly and funny, Eric Church has succeeded in what he set out to do: He's using the power he's accrued from making hit records to make exactly the kind of album he wants, heedless of industry approval. And this is how good he is: Now he'll go out and — through the singles he'll release, the touring he'll do and the videos he'll make — probably turn this personal project into a big commercial deal. The Outsiders deserves nothing less.”

“… this is the kind of record critics imagine Kanye keeps making: a freakish statement of confidence and power from an artist in full command of his gifts,” wrote Michael Robbins in his review for Spin. “Nashville has the deepest grab-bag in contemporary pop right now, but nothing else comes together like Eric Church in the wild.”

Dan Hyman wrote about 'The Outsiders' in Esquire saying, “It's buck-wild, over-the-top, loud, distorted…and decidedly fearless. It's a gem…. It's the sort of take-no-prisoners rock-centered country album that's doing exactly what Nashville's Music Row elite, with their risk-averse, trend-following predilections growing ever more predictable by the day, never could have anticipated: packing stadiums and making massive dollars.”

The mystery and excitement surrounding Eric Church’s forthcoming album 'The Outsiders' continues to build with the release of the music video for his new single, “Give Me Back My Hometown.” The video, which was released to all video outlets today, Jan. 18, was directed by Peter Zavadil and is the first chapter of an overarching narrative featuring characters that fans will get to know throughout the course of listening to 'The Outsiders'.

According to a statement on Church’s website, this new video marks “the first chapter of an overarching narrative featuring characters that we will get to know throughout the course of listening to The Outsiders.” In an interview with Radio.com at Lollapalooza, Church promised a change-up on his forthcoming album. “It’s different,” he said with a giant grin. “And I don’t know how people are going to judge it, that’s up to the people to decide, but no, it’s different.”

'The Outsiders' will hit shelves on Feb. 11. It is Church’s fourth studio album for EMI Records Nashville and produced by longtime collaborator, Jay Joyce. Written by Church and Luke Laird, “Give Me Back My Hometown” is the second single off the album and can be purchased at all digital retailers.

Fans eagerly anticipating the upcoming Eric Church album The Outsiders are getting another taste of what's to come on the much buzzed-about project. Church and EMI Records Nashville have released the album’s second single, “Give Me Back My Hometown.” The wistful song, written by Church and Luke Laird, is currently playing on radio stations across the country and available now for purchase at all digital retailers.

“Give Me Back My Hometown” follows first single and title cut “The Outsiders,” which Billboard magazine noted in a cover story on the ACM and CMA award winner, “Church was already at the vanguard of contemporary country’s rock movement… Like a modern-day Lynyrd Skynyrd, Church manages to be simultaneously more rock’n’roll and good-old-boy than anyone else out there – no easy task.” Rolling Stone named “The Outsiders” one of the “100 Best Songs of 2013” raving, “Leave it to the classic rock-loving Nashville badass to cook up the heaviest ‘country’ song in years – a radio hit that plays like some demon spawn of Def Leppard, Black Sabbath, and ‘Born to Be Wild.’” (RS hyperlink: http://rol.st/1cr1Gsl; Billboard hyperlink: http://bit.ly/1dheejC)

Church and longtime producer Jay Joyce once again collaborated on The Outsiders, which will be released on Feb. 11. Fans can pre-order album bundles directly from www.ericchurch.com, which include The Outsiders album and exclusive merchandise.

The Outsiders will be Church’s fourth studio album. It follows the Platinum-certified Chief, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, stayed atop the Billboard Country Albums Chart for two weeks, and received the Album of the Year Award from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Chief spawned five hit singles, including two No. 1 smashes: the Platinum-certified “Drink in My Hand” and Double Platinum-certified “Springsteen.”

One of music’s most electrifying entertainers and prolific songwriters, EMI Records Nashville’s Eric Church, has finally set the date for his fourth studio album, the aptly titled, THE OUTSIDERS, for Feb. 11, 2014. The release is the follow-up to his CMA and ACM Album of the Year, CHIEF, which has gone on to sell over 1.5 million records and produce two No. 1 singles, “Drink In My Hand” and “Springsteen” and three Top 10 hits since it’s June 2011 release.

Starting today, November 6, fans can pre-order an exclusive album bundle directly from www.ericchurch.com, which includes THE OUTSIDERS physical album and exclusive merchandise including: T-Shirt, sticker, and/or a leather cuff bracelet. To go direct to the pre-order page, visit http://smarturl.it/ECTheOutsiders.

Church shared the news exclusively with Associated Press' Chris Talbott remarking, "I'm interested to see what people think about them. I always say the songs are mine till the moment we release them, then they’re the fans’ (songs). I’m very anxious. I have a lot of anxiety to see what people think about what we’ve done.”

Church will perform the album title and lead single, “The Outsiders,” on The 47th Annual CMA Awards, airing live on ABC Television on tonight, Nov. 6 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET), where he is nominated for two CMA Awards this year: Male Vocalist and Musical Event of the Year (with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan for “The Only Way I Know”). The song is an ode to the manner in which Church and his fans have built his career, as an inclusive group together fighting to have his music heard.

Jay Joyce once again joins Church for production and songwriting collaborations. Church started writing for the release in 2012 while on his arena tour, Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. Talbott notes, “Some of the most striking moments [on THE OUTSIDERS] would seem odd to your local program director. There’s a dark trilogy, for instance, that includes a dramatic recitation of the Shel Silverstein poem ‘The Devil and Billy Markham.’ ‘Roller Coaster Ride’ actually feels just like one. And album-closer, ‘The Joint,’ is an oddly affecting cross of Tom Waits and J.J. Cale.”

For more information, please visit www.ericchurch.com or follow him on Twitter @ericchurch.

Keith Urban took it to the streets of lower Broadway in Nashville last night as he promoted the release of his latest album "Fuse' set to release this coming Tuesday. He played at Legends Corner, The Stage and Tootsies Orchid Lounge to packed houses with crowds gathered outside just to hear the country superstar. Most fans who made it into the venues had staked out their spot hours early in the day Friday. Steven Tyler joined Urban onstage at Tootsies, with Eric Church joining him earlier in the evening. Urban began the evening with a live taping for Yahoo! Music's Ram Country Live! series which will air on September 25th. The Yahoo! taping was attended by select industry members and ticket winners.

The Eric ChurchBand’s 2nd Annual “Put A Club In My Hand” private, invitation only 18-hole scramble golf tournament for music business professionals, fellow artists, musicians and tour staff took place on Aug. 13, 2013 at Nashville’s Gaylord Springs Golf Links. Its inaugural year, benefiting MusiCares, successfully raised over $50,000 for the charity and as everything Church-related, the event exploded in popularity. This year's 2nd Annual event more than doubled their profits raising $109,465 for MuisCares. Members of the Eric Church Band have personally received assistance provided by the organization, so the tournament originated with one goal in mind—to give back to an entity that has helped them and so many of their peers.

Photo Credit: David Schenk and Jamey Campbell

The tournament featured 160 golfers in a scramble consisting of LPGA Tour players and music industry professions. The event was possible due to efforts by Eric Church’s band and crew and was produced by Big Hearted Babes. The event itself included over 50 volunteers along with support from over 40 sponsors, including presenting sponsor EMI Records Nashville, label home to Eric Church.

The 3rd Annual "Put A Club In My Hand" tournament will be announced next spring. Visit www.grammy.org/musicares for more information and to support MuisCares.